This invention relates to a recording and/or reproducing device represented by DLT (digital linear tape) or LTO (linear tape open) and, in particular, to a retaining member for retaining a grabber to be coupled to a leader pin.
Recording and/or reproducing devices of the type described are developed for use in back-up ones of computer systems and various types of the recording and/or reproducing devices have been proposed in prior art. Such a recording and/or reproducing device serving as the LTO is disclosed, for example, in the patent document WO 00/30096 A1.
The recording and/or reproducing device may be also a tape drive in which a cartridge having a single reel (a supply reel) can be installed. The cartridge may be also called a cassette. The recording and/or reproducing device contains a take-up reel therein. When the cartridge is installed in the recording and/or reproducing device, a magnetic tape is pulled out of the cartridge and then is wound by the take-up reel through a tape-transport path. The tape-transport path is for guiding the magnetic tape pulled out of the cartridge in a magnetic head. The magnetic head exchanges information between the tape and the magnetic head. In addition, the take-up reel is rotationally drivable by means of a real motor.
In the manner which is disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document WO 00/30096 A1, the cartridge comprises a housing, a rotationally drivable supply reel accommodated in the housing, the magnetic tape wound onto the reel hub of the supply reel, and a coupling element which is connected to the magnetic tape in the area of the free end of the magnetic tape and which is held in a coupling position. The coupling element is also called a leader pin.
In order to enable the magnetic tape contained in the cartridge to be wound onto the take-up reel, the magnetic tape should first be brought to the take-up reel with the aid of the leader pin. For this purpose, the recording and/or reproducing device has a pull-out element. The pull-out element is adopted to be coupled to the leader pin. The pull-out element is also called a grabber.
In order to enable the grabber to be coupled to the leader pin, the recording and/or reproducing device includes retaining means adapted to detachably retain the grabber. The retaining means are movably between a standby position and an operating position. A movement of the retaining means into their operating position causes a movement of the grabber in a coupling direction and the grabber and the leader pin to be coupled. On the other hand, a movement of the retaining means out of their operating position causes a movement of the grabber in a direction opposite to the coupling direction and the grabber and the leader pin to be disengaged.
In order to enable the grabber and the leader pin after they have been coupled (i.e., a pull-out assembly thus formed) to be moved away from the retaining means and to be moved up to the reel hub of the take-up reel, the recording and/or reproducing device includes actuating means. The actuating means is simply formed by a pull-out tape. The pull-out tape is guided along the above-mentioned tape-transport path. The pull-out tape is also called a leader tape.
In the recording and/or reproducing device using such as a leader tape, in order to load the magnetic tape with reliability, it is necessary to pull the magnetic tape out of the cartridge by catching the leader pin received in the cartridge on the grabber with reliability. For the sake of this, it is necessary to put the grabber back in place each time with reliability on catching the leader pin.
In a case of the recording and/or reproducing device using the leader tape, when the magnetic tape is rewound to the supply reel received in the cartridge from the take-up reel, the grabber is pulled by a rotational driving force of the reel motor for rotationally driving the supply reel. For the sake of this, it is difficult to hold the grabber in place stably by only a pulling force of the reel motor.
Accordingly, in the above-mentioned patent document WO 00/30096 A1, latching means are connected to the above-mentioned retaining means, which latching means are movable between a latching position where they can inhibit a disengagement of the grabber from the retaining means and a release position where they enable the grabber to be detached from the retaining means. The latching means have two lever arms which are adopted to cooperate with two latching positions formed by projections of the grabber. Thereby, the grabber is fixed in place.
In a method of fixing (latching) the grabber in place by using the latching means which is different from the retaining means as the above-mentioned conventional recording and/or reproducing device, an additional part is further required to move the lever arms. As a result, the conventional recording and/or reproducing device is disadvantageous in that the number of parts are increased and it results in increase in cost and degradation of reliability.